Printing telegraph system



Aug. 2, 1 932. J, N, BAKER 1,8693% PRINTING TELEGRAPH SYSTEM Filed Aug. 13, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 2, 1932 F in .e' 2. Lee

Janus n. BAKER, or rowson, MARYLAND PRINTING TELEGRAPH SYSTEM Application fil ed August 13, 19:20. Serial No. 4 4,894.

This invention relates to printing telegraphs and has for its principal object to provide for the simultaneous transmission over the same wire of a plurality of messages. The invention is probably best illustrated in its relation to stock tickers in which, the letters indicating the name of the stock and the figures representing the price of the stock are usually transmitted successively and printed successively on the tape from independent and successively actuated type wheels. Y

In'its more specific aspect the invention provides a system so arranged that either letters or figures alone can be transmitted as at present, or the letter and figure keys can be successively manipulated, but the transmission of the message be automatically delayed until both the letter and figure keys have been manipulated whereupon, the dual message is simultaneously transmitted and printed.

It is obvious that asystem of the character described is extremely important in relieving the congestion which prevails upon days of exceptionally heavy trading.

The invention also has for its object the provision of transmission and receiving circuits associated with the letter and figure keys, the receiving circuit comprising two gaps in series, said gaps being adapted to be closed by independent means actuated by alternating current impulses of opposite polarity, which traverse circuits controlled respectivelybyletter keys and figure keys, it

being understood that the key controlled cir cuits are normally operated so as to cause the continual passage through the gap actuating means of polarized current impulses of short duration, and that when-the letter or figure keys are depressed the circuit characteristics are changed so as to produce in said key controlled circuits, currents of polarized impulses of relatively long duration, closing the respective gaps and thus closing a circuit in which is a source of direct current, by which he printing means is operative. It is impossible for both gaps in the receiving circuit to be closed and consequently impossible for the printing act to take place in the receiving set except during impulse periods of long duration such as are produced when keys in both the letter and depressed.

Other and more specific o figure series are bjeots of the invention will appear as a description of a schemati embodiment thereof proceeds,

V in the drawings,

Figures 1 and 1A taken together represent diagr carry 1 out my invention,

aminatically an electrical system for including both the transmitting and receiving portions of said circuit.

Figure 2 is a vertical elevation showing the circuit contacts immedia t 1e keys.

Figure 3 illustrates diagr tely operated by amin atically the 'tion of the circuit.

Referringnow in detail to the several figures and first adverting to Figure 1 which represents the transmission circuits, the reference characters 10 and 11 represent/respectively banks or series of keys, the former being letter keys, and the latter figure keys in a printing telegraph system of the stock ticker type. Each key as will presentlybe disclosed constitutes a switch element.

The. letter keys 10 and the figure keys 11 are associated respectively with sunflower respectively, and eachhavi n g one segment corresponding to a blank key; In front of each dial is a trailing arm, 9 and 9 respectively, said arms be] ng carried on shafts a and a but suitably shafts are contra means. :ch as elethe trailing arms g and g -1 ulated therefrom. The ously rotated by suitable ric motors, not shown, and 9 repeatedly pass over the faces of the dials, but no printing act is transmitted to the a receiving end by the mere traverse of the trailin faces of the said dials.

g arms over the The shafts a and a are also provided with the polarity reversing commutators and 0 respectively and with pawl engaged ratch et wheels d and cl by means of which upon the occurrence of certain eventualities presently to be explained, the rotation of the shafts a and a is temporarily inhibited, the electric motors which operate said shafts being assumed to have couplings which will permit the inhibition of the rotary movement of said shafts.

The various consecutive segments of the sunflower switch X are connected to the several letter keys by wires 0, f, etc., while the consecutive segments of the sunflower switch Y are connected to the consecutive figure keys by the wires 6, f, etc. The buss side of both letter and figure keys is connected to one side of a station battery V, the other side of the battery being grounded.

' being independent of the conductive band a.

The position in which the key 0 is shown in Figure 2 is its normal undepressed position. Bearing against the opposite sides of the conductive band ware spring contacts 5 and s. Said contacts .9 and a, for each key are arranged in series circuit as shown in Figure 3, the spring contact 3 a being connected to-the'buss which goes to one side of the battery V while the other terminal contact s s is connected to the blank segment in the sunflower switch by wires 1 and g. It will benoted in Figure 3 that when all of the keys are ,in their normal undepressed position, the circuit is complete through the buss of the battery to the blanksegment of the sunflower. This construction is duplicated for each of the banks or series of keys and the solev purpose of this circuit is to provide that when. no keys'in one of the series or banks are depressed the circuit is closed so that it is possible to transmit either letters or figures as the case may be from one or the other of the key banks, the circuit being already closed by the one which is not being used.

It willbe noted from Figure 2 that there are other pairs of spring contacts 6 and t the gap between which is closed by the stem P when the key is depressed. At the same 59 time the key isrdepressed the battery circuit through the blank segment of the sunflower switch is opened. The spring contacts may be designated as the buss side of the circuit and all such contacts both for letter and fig- 33 me keys are connected to the battery V,

while the other contacts, 6, are connected to the proper segments of either the letter or figure sunflowers.

Referring once again to the sunflower switches X and Y, it has been said that the trailer arms 9 and g are continuously rotated by shafts a and a respectively but insulated from said shafts. Bearing against the hubs of said trailer arms are the contact brushes 1) and Z) respectively.

The ratchet wheels kl and d are controlled by pawls m and m which in turn are operated by magnets h and M and it will be noted that said magnets are in circuit with the brushes 6 and I) and with the ground side of the battery VJ. so that when current is brought from the buss side of the battery to a particular segment of one or other of the sunflower switches, the brush Z) or 6 completes the circuit 'hrough one or the other of the magnets, thus causing the pawl m or the pawl m to engage tie respective ratchet wheel and to inhibit further movement of the trailer arm from that particular segment until the ratchet has been released by deenergization of the magnet M or the magnet M by the release of the key which has been depressed and its restoral to normal position through the instrumentality of the springs r with which each of the keys is equipped.

The reversing commutators 0 and 0 comprise each an annular series of insulated bars 13 and l t respectively, the bars on each commutator being the same in number as the seg ments in the associated sunflower dials. Each alternate bar of the commutator C is connected to a slip ring l5, l6, and likewise each alternate, bar in commutator C is connected to a slip ring 15, 16 preferably arranged upon opposite sides of the commutator.

Brushes h, 7', and h, i, bear upon opposite sides of the commutator, and brushes 7c and 7c bear against the peripheries of the respective commutators both being connected to the line L which leads from the transmission to the receiving end of the system.

Alternating current sources U and U of different frequencies are provided, in circuit with polarizing rectifiers the parts of which are represented by the reference characters 0, p, and 0, p, the polarized impulses from which are led by the brushes h, 11, and h, z", to the commutators 0 and 0 and the impulses'of reversed polarity are transmitted across the line L to the receiving or printing circuit. The operation of the transmission portion of the system will now be traced. Suppose, for instance, that the letter key A is depressed. The circuit is closed through the letter buss from the battery V across the spring contacts 25, 3, through the lines to the A segment of the letter sunflower dial. As soon as the sunflower trailer g reaches the A segment the circuit is completed through the brush b, the wire 1 the magnet M and the line 2'to the battery W. Magnet ll thus energized, attracts the pawl 17?. engaging the pawl with a notch in the ratchet wheels (Z thus locking the shaft a against rotation. While the shaft (1 has been rotated, the connnutator c has caused impulses of alternating polarity to be transmitted over the line L rapid intervals. The same corresponding circuit is activated when a figure key is depressed.

it is further evident that when both magnets lv and M are energized, the pawls m and m make additional battery connection through the wire 3, contact 4, wire 5, closed circuit key T, wire 5, contact 4, to the line L,

which sends over the line a strong direct current impulse from the station battery W. It is therefore evident that this prolonged impulse cannot be transmitted unless both the magnets M and M have been energized, or, in other words, until both letter and figure mechanisms have been brought to rest by the pawls m, m. While the keys which bring about this inhibition in the rotation of the shafts a and a are still depressed, this direct current impulse may be transmitted as many times as desiredby opening and closing the closed circuit key T.

Figure 1A represents the receivingend or printing end of the system. Here I have a neutral press magnet D for lifting the platen and stepping the tape. A neutral spring winding magnet E is shown and two polarized escapement magnets LB and FE, two neutral relays LB and FR, two condensers G and G and a ballast resistance R. The letter characters are controlled by the combination of elements G, LR, and LB, while the figure characters are controlled by the combination G, FE, and F13. The press magnet D serves for both the letter and figure type wheels while the winding magnet E serves for winding the springs for actuating both of said type wheels.

The impulses of alternate polarity sent out from the commutators c and 0', operate the polarized magnets LB and FE and these impulses should be of different frequencies sufiiiently far apart to permit an easy balance without interference. The letter printing combination G, LR and LB is so proportioned as to be in resonance with the impulses sent out by the commutator 0, while the figure printing combination G, FE and FE, are so proportioned as to be in resonance with the .iigure frequency sent out from the commutator 0. Both the letter an d figure rela s LB and F13 operate their corresponding escapements with the polarizec r versals as transmitted from the commutators 0 and 0 respectively. As soon as the commutators have been brought to rest, a prolonged impulse causes the relays LR and FR to act and close the circuit wyD and R to the ground the print magnet D then receives the direct current impulse from the battery W' through the closed contacts l and 4 as has been previously explained. It is thus evident that neither circuit can operate the printer until both circuits are ready.

For winding the springs of the printing mechanism it is preferred to use an electric motor of standard design, but if this is not feasible a spring winding circuit may be employed comprising by way of example, a contact maker Z on the shaft of either of the sunflower switches the circuit is made from station battery lV through the Wire 3, and contact 6, to the line. Atthe receiving end the direct current impulse acts through the spring winding magnet E, and ballast resistance to the ground. The condensers block the passage of this direct current impulse from the polarized magnets LB and FE and it cannot act upon the press magnet D since this circuit is not completed until after the relays LR and FR have acted.

Figure 4 shows by way of example the mechanical changes which would be made in the receiving organ of a known printing telegraph in order to adapt it to operation according to my novel system whereby the letter wheel 30 driven by shaft 31 is supported by bearing 32 shaft 33 and bearing 34. Shaft 31 is of tubular construction through which sha t 33 passes to drive figure wheel .35. Attached to shaft 31 are pinion 36 a standard unison device 37 and escapement 38. While to shaft are attached pinion 39, unison device 20 and escapement 21. It is thus seen that parts 30, 31, 36, 37, and 38 act together as a unit while a second unit co-axial therewith and capable of being operated independ- I. r) entry is composed of parts 30, 3o, 39, 20 and Pinion 36 is driven by gear 22 and pinion 39 by gear 24. Both of these gears are loose upon shaft 26 and are connected thereto by spiral springs 23 and 25 respectively; The winding means, either a magnetic winder or an electric motor, is attached to the extension 27 of shaft 26. It is thus seen that when shaft 26 is rotated a tension is. placed upon both springs 23 and which tension is applied through gears 22 and 24!: to pinions 36 and .39, thus causing type wheels 30 and 35 to rotate in response to escapement wheels 38 and 21.

lVith this system I still retain the tape feedthe inking, and the platen raising methods employed by present systems, adding thereto a second escapenient and unison device. Consequently it has not been thought necessary to show these known elements in the illustration of the present invention. would be necessary however to proportion. all electromagnets so as tohave them comply with the requirements of the electrical circuits as. shown.

fi hlle I have in the above description enas shown.

hat I claim as my invention is:

1. Telem-etric system for simultaneously repeating at a remote tation signals from separate groups, separately actuated and transmitted over a single wire, comprising means associated with each group and responsive to the actuation of signals in said respective groups, for transmitting over said single wire impulses of reversed polarity, identified with said respective groups, in successions of impulses corresponding in numher to the ordination of the actuated gna-ls in said respective groups, signals at the receiving end of said system corresponding in ordinal value to the signals in said respective groups, escapements assoc-1- atcd with signals at the receiving end arranged to repeat the transmitted impulses, and actuating the receiving signal; in correspondence to the ordinal value of: the repeated impulse successions, and polarized selectors associated with the respective escapcments for operatively subjecting said escapements to the received impulses of that polarity only for which each respectively attuned, whereby each group of receiving signals responds only to t ie corresponding group of sigi als at the transmitting station.

2. Telemetric system as claimed in claim 1 including a directcurrcnt circuit, make and break devices intercalated in said circuit in series, one associated with each group of signals at the transmitting end, and operating synchronously with the impulse producing means, said make and break devi es being arranged to dwell in closed position at the end of each impulse succession, and means at the receiving end in said direct current circuit energized only when both said make and break devices are closed, and operating only upon a prolonged dv l of the closed period of said make and break devices for simultaneously perpetuating the received nals.

3. Telemetric system as claimed in claim 1, the transmitting 9i nals including separate groups of keys, said system including sunflower switches *ach having an e cmeut rotating synchronously with said impmse transmitting means, and a fined element having contact segments electrically connected to ti 2 respective keys and swept by said movable element, means for driving said movable element and said impulse transmitting means, said l-I3- S when depressed clos' circuit through the appropriate segment oi said sunflower switch, and an inhibitor for each group, for erminating the succession of impulses corrcsoonding to the actuated keys in the respective groups, said inhibitors each being in circuit with the segments of its asso-,

ciated sunflower switch.

ll. 'lelemetric s item as claimed in claim 1, the transmitting signals including separate groups of keys, sunflower switches for each group each having an element rotating synchronously with said impulse transmitting means, and a flXGd element having contact r-tcgments electrically connected to the respective KEYS and swept by said movable element,

driving means for said movable element and Quitting means, said keys when impulse trai depressed closing a circu1t through. the ap propriate segment of the associated sun flower an inhibitor for each group, for

termin tors be A each in circuit with the segments of the associated sunflower switch, and make and break devices actuated by said inhibitors arran ed in series in a direct current circuit, 7

erpetuating means at the receivbut operating only upon a i ')iolo11gecl dwell in the closure period of said make and break devices, said s gnal per 'ietuatmg means inclu d1 n g type wheels co rrespondin to the keys in the respective transmitting groups set,

through the operation of said cscapemcnts,

- an d means for simultaneously printing from both said type wheels.

5, Telcmetric system as claimed in claim 1, transmitting signals including separate;

groups oi keys, sunflower switches for each group each having an element rotating synchronously with said impulse transmitting means, and a fixed element having contact segments electrically connected to the respective keys and swept by said movable element, drivin means for said movable element and impulse transmitting means. said keys when depressed closing a circ iit through the appropriate segment of the associated. sunflower switch, an inhibitor tor each group, for terminating the successions of impulses corr pendingto the actuator keys, said inhib ors beingeach in circuit with the segments of the associ it make and break do. .ces actuated by said inhibitors arrangerin ser'i s in a direct current circuit. and signapcrpe uating means at the receiving end of said system and in said direct current circuit, said perpetuating means being energized when both said make and break devices are closed by said impulse inhibitors, but operating only upon a prolonged dwell in the closure period of said make and break devices, said signal perpetuating means g the successions of impulses corresponding to the actuated keys, said inhibi ed sunflower switch. and

. including type wheels corresponding to the main normally closed to permit the transmission of signals solely from the other group.

6. Telemetric system for the simultaneous printing at a remote station, characters separately transmitted from keys in separate groups over a single wire, comprising a shaft for each transmitting group with driving means for rotating each shaft, means on each shaft in circuit with alternating current sources of reversed polarity, for transmitting over said single wire successions of impulses corresponding in number to the ordinal value of the several keys, escapements at the receivin end responsive to the alternating current impulses for repeating the same, polarized selectors in said respective alternating current circuit for determining to which polarity each escapement shall respond, type wheels corresponding to the respective transmitting groups and actuated by said escapements, sunflower switches associated with said transmitting groups, having rotatable elements on said respective sha ts and fixed elements having conductive segments corresponding to said keys, a ratchet wheel on each shaft, pawls engageable with said ratchet wheels, solenoids for actuating said pawls to engage said ratchet wheels for in hibiting the rotation of said shafts, said solenoids being in circuit with a source through depressed keys in the respective groups and the associated segments on said sunflower switches when swept by said movable segments for determining the ordinal value of the impulse successions transmitted by the depressed keys, and a direct current circuit including means for simultaneously impressing said printing wheels and including also make and break devices in series and associated with the respective transmitting groups and actuated by said pawls to close said direct current circuit only when both said pawls are in shaft rotation inhibiting position.

7. Telemetric system as claimed in claim 6 including an escapement winding spring for the escapements at the receiving end of said system, a Winding motor for said spring and means amociated with one of said shafts at said transmitting end for closing a circuit for energizing said motor.

8. The combination in a telegraphic system for reproducing simultaneously at a re- 'mote station characters forming separate sets or groups, a plurality of separate telegraphic transmitting instruments adapted to be actuated by currents of difierent frequencies, a plurality of sources of alternating current of frequencies corresponding to the frequencies of the respective transmitting instruments and connected respectively to the corresponding instruments to actuate the same, an equal number of telegraphic printing instruments adapted to be actuated by current of frequencies corresponding respectively to the frequencies of the transmitting instruments, a single wire connecting all the transmitting instruments to all the receiving instruments, a set of keys with correspond ing switches included in the circuit of each said transmitting instrument, the keys of each set corresponding to the characters of one of said sets or groups, the respective re ceiving instruments being adapted to record corresponding sets of characters and the keys of the respective sets being so arranged that the selected keys of the respective sets can be operated simultaneously whereby the apparatus is adapted to transmit and repro-' duce over a single wire signals corresponding to characters of different sets or groups simultaneously.

9. The combination in a telegraphic system for reproducing simultaneously at a re mote station characters from separate sets or groups, a plurality of separate telegraphic transmitting instruments adapted to be actuated by currents of different frequencies, a plurality of sources of electric current of corresponding frequencies, each said source bein g connected to the corresponding transmitting instrument to actuate the same, an equal number of telegraphic printing instruments adapted respectively to be actuated by current of the same frequencies, means connecting all the transmitting instruments to all the receiving instruments, a set of keys with corresponding switches included in the circuit of each said transmitting instrument, the keys of each set corresponding to each of a set of characters and the respective sets of characters being different, the respective receiving instruments being adapted to record I corresponding sets of characters and the keys of the respective sets being so arranged that selected keys of the different sets can be operated simultaneously whereby the apparatus is adapted to transmit and reproduce signals corresponding to characters of difierent sets or groups simultaneously. 7

Signed by me at Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland, this 8th day of August,

JAMES N. BAKER. 

